Cabinet Design Trends

If you’ve built or remodeled a home recently you know how much can be done in the kitchen. If your contractor identified a budget for appliances, counter tops and cabinets, you realize how easily

you can spend that budget, and how quickly. Contractors will often offer different packages of cabinets, but to explore all your options, make a call to Scott and Leslie Riley at Cabinet Designs of Central Florida. Their Brevard showroom is in Rockledge, off Murrell Road, and they recently opened a new Windermere showroom on Main Street. Plan on spending some time there — you’ll be amazed.

During a recent visit, Riley was quick to offer design advice, and there was one specific trend he was excited about: inset cabinetry. “We’re seeing a resurgence of this cabinet style. Many of our clients are seeing the nicest kitchens on Houzz and Pinterest, and then realizing that the clean, transitional look they like is actually an inset cabinet,” Riley said.

To those unfamiliar with the different cabinet styles, overlay or framed cabinets are what most people have. Those styles consist of a hardwood frame that is mounted to the face of a cabinet box and then the doors overlay the frame. Then there is the European style, often referred to as frameless. The face of the cabinet is finished with a wood veneer, so there is no center rail when you open the doors. You get 10-15 percent more storage versus a framed cabinet.

“That’s what we typically build,” Riley said. “Framed cabinetry is kind of old school and traditional. Frameless is a little more sleek, a little more modern.”

The trend Riley is most excited about is a third cabinet construction type. “On an ‘inset cabinet,’ the door and the drawer fronts sit inside the cabinet frame. Everything is flush to the surface of the frame. Typically, you see this style in the high-end, showpiece kitchens,” Riley adds.

“Inset cabinets are very popular in the Northeast, and they have just recently started to come into Florida. We’ve rarely seen requests for inset, but the style just really hadn’t made its way to us.” But now homeowners are seeing some nice kitchens online and on social media, and are asking Riley for that style.

For someone coming to Cabinet Designs for custom cabinetry, inset cabinets are just another option in Riley’s offerings. “I love inset personally. It’s gorgeous. When you see a well done inset, it’s super nice,” he adds.

COLOR TRENDS AND MORE….

“The hottest color is — and this is interesting to me — green,” Riley says. “The trend has changed. It’s been gray for three to five years, but this year the color has turned the corner and it is most certainly green.” Although Riley says he gets requests for blue as well, the pro-tip is to combine the two to get a grayish blue.

High gloss acrylics and laminates are also increasingly popular, according to Riley. They are not in demand yet here in Brevard, but in Orlando they are in high demand. “There are many new and interesting laminates to choose from. There are more unique patterns, textures and bold colors to choose from. We do modern well. What makes us unique is our ability to source material that nobody else has.”

HARDWARE AND ELECTRONICS

Riley says, “Hardware trends are in polished nickel, antiqued bronze and rose bronze. Gold has made a comeback of sorts, though stainless and oil rubbed bronze are still quite popular.” Cabinet Designs offers a broad range of hardware options to complement the wood and finish you choose for your cabinets.

“We’ll also work with a sample of your countertop of choice to get the overall feel that you’re after.” Riley says he’s seeing more and more quartz counters, along with granite and the occasional concrete top.

Technology is making its way into kitchen cabinetry. Beyond popular self-closing drawers and doors, touch sensitive versions are now available. “ This is the newest way to access your cabinet interiors. Virtually hands free. No knobs or handles needed. These automated doors and drawers are mostly seen in modern kitchens like the houses we are doing at the Lake Nona Country Club near Orlando.”

If you take one thing away from reading this, realize that there are many more options and choices at Cabinet Designs than a contractor typically offers. If you’re building your dream home or creating the perfect kitchen in a remodel, you owe yourself a trip to Cabinet Designs to explore all the possibilities.